The Lining Is Silver
by Lady Carlton
Summary: Alex is a young witch that started her magical education in Beauxbatons, France. Now, the heiress of the Dumbledore family learns two things that are gonna change her life for good... - Read inside for further info. Draco/OC. R&R! -ON HIATUS-
1. From Paris, with

_**"The Lining is Silver"**_

**Summary:** Daughter of an Auror and a Quidditch player, Alex is a young witch that started her magical education in Beauxbatons, France soon after her father's death. The heiress of two well known families in the Wizarding World is close to start her fourth year at the French Academy when she learns two things that are gonna change her life for good. _First:_ Her mom was offered a job in London and she's gonna move. _Second:_ She's going to attend a different magical school than the one she's used to. Now, Alex not only has to adjust her entire life but also has to learn how to deal with some rivalry she had never known of and, sometimes, can't understand the source of it amongst some other things... I might not follow the events that happen on the books so I think this should be considered sligthly AU (maybe).

**Pairing:** Draco/OC.

**Rating:** Thus far, K+. Might change in the future.

**Disclaimer:** Except for the OCs that you will find here, I own nothing. It all belongs to the genius JK Rowling. I bow down to her brilliance.

— — —

_**Author's Note:**__ Hello everyone! So, first order of business: I'd like to apologize in advance for any misuse of grammar, wrong words, misspellings, etcetera... English is not my first language —_ _and neither is French by the way... So, I might have some difficulties with it and, in advance, I'm sorry if something's wrong. I take full responsibility since I choose to use these two languages._

_In any case, this is my first Harry Potter fic. I'm a Harry Potter fan since 1999 (circa) and I was always sort of scared of this awesomeness created by JK... I didn't want to mess with it, but I decided to face my demons, work on my fears and I finally found the guts to write something. Merlin have mercy on me..._

_In conclusion, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! Review people!_

_**Merry Christmas!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1.<strong> From Paris, with...

It was a gray, rainy Saturday morning in Paris and I've been quietly laying on my king sized bed, half sleep, half awake, wondering why on Earth I was awake at such early time when my mother's thick British accent filled my room. But, today, instead of the usual _"Good morning, sunshine!"_ I heard an unusual and much unexpected:

"Alex, sweetheart, pack your stuff! We're moving."

Those words caused me to sit bolt upright in no time – I don't know how I didn't break my neck or my spine for that matter... It was just eight in the morning and, even though I've been sort of awake for about ten minutes now, I couldn't say if I was dreaming or if it was real, after all, I was days away from starting my fourth year at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic when my mom yelled those words from the corridor as she passed by my door.

"What?"

"We are going to London," she answered in response from her room I guessed.

"Is this some sort of joke?" I shouted in response, not even bothering with manners or anything else that I was taught since I was just a little girl. "We can't leave! Not now!"

"We can and we will," she said with an incredibly calm tone when she returned to my room. Opening the door just enough, she waved her wand and, instantly, my mahogany wardrobe opened its doors and more than half of my clothes were perfectly folded and placed inside my blue and silver trunk. "Now, stop complaining and start packing."

"Mom, in case you have forgotten, in ten days I'll start my fourth year at Beauxbatons," I pleaded, jumping out of bed and barging out of my room and into my mother's. To my surprise, it was all packed. Every single thing. "I cannot leave!" I cried.

"Don't worry about that, sunshine," my mother said softly and with a smile, waving and flicking her wand here and there and more of her belongings were suddenly into boxes that appeared out of nowhere. "You won't miss the year..." I was just about to sigh in relief when she added: "You've been transferred."

I stared at her, speechless and in disbelief for more than just a handful of seconds. Her words echoed in my ears and brain and my mouth was hanging open.

"Sorry, what?" I said when I finally recovered my voice. "I thought I heard you saying I've been–"

"Transferred. That is correct."

"_MÈRE!_"

"_FILLE!_"

I closed my eyes shut and shook my head, maybe the world would go back to its normal, or I would wake up from that oddly vivid awkward dream but neither happened. When I opened my eyes again, my mother's room was still full of boxes – and more had appeared.

I opened my mouth, trying to say something but my voice was gone again, so I closed it. I did that for more than just a couple of times before I could actually say something, and it was a sad "why?"

"Because I was offered a job and I accepted it. So, I'm going to London and you're coming with _moi_."

My mother was an Auror and she had been to London every once in a while and I was never required to tag along, but now I had to move? Leave all my friends behind? My school?

"_Ce n'est pas juste!_" I cried loudly. "I want to stay."

"I'm so sorry, _chéri_," she said softly.

I could not believe what I was hearing. We were leaving France, I was being transferred. It was a freaking nightmare... Not even her calling me _chéri_, which was how my dad called us both, cheered me up – and it always worked to either put a smile on my face or to wash away a frown. Not this time.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply for a couple of times as I made my way back into my room – I had lost that battle and, apparently, I wouldn't stand a chance in that war. I didn't resign to that yet but, what else could I do? It was all already arranged; it wasn't really up for any discussion...

* * *

><p>"Where I was transferred to?" I asked fairly coldly when I finished packing all my stuff. I felt terribly awful for treating my mom like that but I was still trying to accept everything. And, at that point, I didn't really care where we would live, I just wanted to know where I'd study.<p>

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," my mother said with a large smile plastered on her face and I could only think to myself how stupid that question was... "I spoke with the Headmaster and he said he'd be more than pleased to have you at his School."

You see, the thing is, my mother was born in Manchester; daughter of a witch and a wizard, she attended Hogwarts. It was more than just a bit obvious why she was excited about that, but the other thing is – I didn't exactly share that excitement.

I was quite pleased with my school; like my father, I was born in France (one of the reasons why I went to Beauxbatons). He and my mother met when she went to Paris after she finished school and before she started her training as Auror. My dad was also a wizard, a Quidditch player – if you ask me, he was the best seeker ever – and thanks to his career, me and my mother got to travel a lot, we even lived for seven years in Australia when my dad was playing for the Thundelarra Thunders and those were the good days... Unfortunately, he died when I started my second year at the Academy.

After I lost my father, the Academy was like my safe heaven. My friends were all there and I liked the feeling of safety that the place offered me. It was like home away from home and the entire place reminded me of my beloved dad. I loved it. So, when I was told we were moving and I was transferred, I strongly disliked it - and that's me being polite.

I've been to London a couple of times and I heard a lot about the British School, but I wasn't happy with the change. I would still have my mother, who I truly loved, but I was losing too much. And I was miserable with that.

"Oh yay," I said letting my body fall on the sofa and sinking on the large piece of furniture. My voice, much like my face and body and life, lacked emotion. I wasn't content with that.

"Oh, c'mon, Alex... You'll love it."

_"I seriously doubt that,"_ I thought to myself but didn't say it out loud.

"Besides, your grandfather is really happy. It's been a while since he last saw you..."

I smiled mechanically but that was just the outside. Inwardly, I couldn't tell how I felt about that... Sure it's been more than just a while since I last saw my grandfather and I trully missed him. But, just because I was heading to a "family reunion" of some sort, it didn't mean I was feeling less miserable for leaving my school, my friends, my life... Not even the fact that I would see my granddad a lot helped with my mood.

Oh, right... I didn't introduce myself yet. My name is Alexandra Dumbledore-Chevalier. I'm Albus Dumbledore's grand-daughter.


	2. New places, old memories

_**Author's Note:** The first three chapters (give or take) are gonna be mostly background and revolving mainly around Alex so you can sort of know her better (at least that's what I tried to do...) In any case, I do hope you enjoy and feel encouraged to let me know what you think of this story!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2.<strong> New places, old memories

"Mom..."

"Yes, _mon amour_?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that you're officially on my grey list," Alex said as she walked through their new place, trying to find a nice room to be her new bedroom.

Her mother bought them a huge house in some neighborhood that Alex hadn't have time to memorize the name yet.

"I'm on your grey list?" Diana asked curiously and slightly humorous.

"Yes," Alex shouted from the second floor as she entered one room that was big enough and even had a skylight. It was as perfect as it could get. "Not on my black list but not exactly on the safe list either... Somewhere in the middle."

—

Diana was Alex's mother. Daughter of two magical people, Elisabeth Weiss – a former Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher – and Albus Dumbledore – Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry –, she graduated from the British Magical School, took a year to travel, when she met a French guy named Louis Chevalier; two years later, they got married.

Louis and Diana were essentially different from each other. He was French, she was English. He was dark haired, she was blonde. He had grey eyes and hers were oceanic blue. He was a worldwide famous Quidditch player and Seeker for the National Team of France, she was the daughter of the world wide famous Albus Dumbledore and was on her way to become an Auror. Different people, but one thing brought them together – love.

They fell in love almost instantly. They were from two different worlds, from two different countries, with two different stories, but still, they met and that was it. They loved each other so deeply and no differences could overcome that bond. The only thing that separated them was an accident. An accident that rudely took Alex's dad from her...

—

Diana had climbed up the stairs and found her daughter roaming around the last room down the corridor. The fourteen year old girl had her back turned to the door and, when Diana saw her black long curled hair falling down her back as a cascade of onyx, she missed her husband dearly.

Alex was the perfect combination of both her parents. From her father, she inherited the shiny, silky, dark curly hair, the white smile, the inherent need to question everything and the love for Quidditch. From her mother, she inherited the beautiful blue eyes, pointed nose, pale skin, her sense of justice and perfectionism. She even had the strong personality that they both had.

Sometimes, when Alex was back home, Diana found herself sitting on an armchair next to her bed and watching as the brunette girl was lost in her dreams. Her daughter was the single most important thing in the whole wide world.

"Mom!"

The blonde woman was leaning against the doorframe; her eyes fixed nowhere when she finally heard Alex. She didn't acknowledge the fact that it was the third time the girl had called her.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked still a bit absent-mindedly. Alex frowned.

"Are you okay?"

The concern in her voice was nearly palpable. The previous teasing was long forgotten and Alex was deeply and seriously focused on her mother.

"_Fantastique_," she answered with a smile that Alex knew it wasn't the real deal.

With two short steps, she stood by her mom. Her eyes soon shifted to her feet.

"No, you're not... _Ce n'est pas fantastique_, mom... Nothing's fantastic," she said in a whisper as her breathing changed. Alex needed to concentrate to keep it steady. She didn't say a word, but her silence was more eloquent than she could ever be.

Diana turned her head quickly and found the teenager by her side. Her left shoulder pressed against the doorframe as her eyes did a meticulous exam of her shoes – just like her father. Suddenly, she felt an urge to pull Alex to her and hold her secure in her motherly arms. And so she did.

To her surprise, Alex didn't put up any resistance and, when her mother's hands touched her arms, she gave in to the warm embrace of her mom. Since her husband died, Diana watched her daughter starting to shield her heart and Alex became a little colder. It was heartbreaking to see such a young girl to grow that detached, but the death of her father was something that hit Alex so hard and with no mercy. The brunette girl loved her father unconditionally and, when he was pulled out of her life like that, it was more than obvious that it would leave a huge scar on her. She didn't even want to go to the Quidditch World Cup, even though they had VIP places...

But today Alex didn't try that hard to be strong and keep her feelings at bay; actually, she tried a little, but she remembered how it was when her dad was there and the day of his death was that close, just around the corner, bringing back so many memories... It's been two years and it was all still too raw, too sensitive, too strong to control.

The two women held onto each other for dear life and, when they pulled apart, their shirts were soaked wet but they were feeling a bit lighter.

"I found my room," Alex said while brushing some remaining tears away.

She offered a smile to her mom and both knew they were okay. They would be alright in that new phase of their lives.

"I'm glad, _chéri_," Diana said cheerfully as she combed Alex's hair with her fingers and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad."

That night, Alex didn't have any sleep. She lay on the soft mattress that was the only thing in her room at that moment and watched the starts through the skylight. Actually, she saw only blurs of the few dots of light above; her tears were clouding the view.

"I miss you, dad..."


	3. It just feels like Saturday

**Author's Note:**_ Hi there people! So, first of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's reading this story. Since it's my first attempt to write something about this awesome phenomenon that is 'Harry Potter', I very much appreciate the encouragement. Secondly, I'd like to apologize to you guys... I'm gonna take a brief hiatus and next chapter might come on January 8th or later because I'm heading back home from my long road trip and I won't have internet access until then. Sorry about that but I'll be back as soon as I can._

_**Happy New Year!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3.<strong> It just feels like Saturday...

It was already mid August. Almost two weeks had passed since Alex woke up in Paris to find out that she and her mom were moving from a different country. Back then, she was more than just a little pissed off. Now, she had resigned to it.

The two women had managed to make the house look a bit more like a home in less than a week but, to Alex, something was missing, and it wasn't like she could fill that void. Even though London was growing on her — thanks to the rainy days, gray mornings and the fact that she was starting to know some of the city — she still felt completely dislocated in there. It was like she still didn't fit. She knew practically nobody in London, she missed her friends, she had to get used to the British traditions and, even though she lived with her mom who spoke with British accent, Alex had a heavy French accent, showing to the whole planet and far beyond that she clearly was not from there.. It was hard. And, much to her displeasure, things didn't exactly change when her mom showed up in her room. Early in the morning. Of a Saturday.

"Alex, wake up..."

Alex didn't open her eyes instantly, but she was very aware of everything when she heard her mom's voice. The brunette witch felt like she was living a déjà vu.

She sat carefully on her bed and found her mother's eyes on hers; she couldn't exactly name the sensation that took over her body at that moment...

"Get up and get dressed. There's someone here who wants to see you."

Alex turned to look at the clock at her nightstand. The blue lights told her it was 7:45am. Seven forty five in the morning. Who on Earth shows up for a visit at such early time?

"Seriously? Now" She couldn't restrain the not so subtle hints of displeasure but was polite enough to keep her voice low so her mother was the only one to hear it.

"Right now. Get up, get dressed, we'll be waiting for you downstairs."

_Awesome_, Alex thought to herself while she pulled the blankets away and literally crawled out of her king sized bed. The first thing she noticed was that, today, it wasn't raining. She frowned; Alex loved rainy and cloudy days.

Dragging her feet through her room and into the bathroom, Alex spend good twenty minutes in the shower and then, more ten to decide what clothes she'd wear.

When her mom called her for the umpteenth time, Alex finally got to the stairs. She only saw her mother in their living room.

"Merlin, Alex, what were you doing upstairs?"

The girl didn't have time to answer that rhetorical question when someone joined them, coming from the dining room.

"Alexandra, my darling..."

"Grandpa!"

With a smile on her face, Alex soon forgot about the very inopportune time that Albus Dumbledore choose to pay them a visit. It's been over two years since she last saw her grandfather.

With three long steps, Alex closed the space that separated her from him and dove into his embrace. Her dark hair against his snowy white hair and huge beard, and his deep purple vest, combined with her long sleeved light blue shirt and white jeans created a very nice image, full of contrasts and combined colors.

"Merlin's beard, Alex," he said with a low voice when they pulled apart. "You grew up so much and you are so beautiful."

Alex looked at her feet for a while. She didn't take compliments that well... "Thanks, grandpa."

Albus offered her a smile as he looked in her eyes. The three people in that room had the same piercing blue eyes.

"So, how's everything, dad?"

"Oh, everything's great... I've been a little busy since we'll have something new at Hogwarts this year but other than that, everything's fine and we're more than ready for the new students."

The youngest witch in that room watched as her mom exchanged a wide open smile with her father and looked at her at the same time. Suddenly, Alex didn't know what to say or do. To the brunette, this was an awkward occasion. The last time she saw her grandfather was at her dad's funeral and that wasn't exactly a very cheerful moment. Now, she was about to go to his school and, in all honesty, she still didn't get used to the idea.

"Speaking of which, your grandpa has something for you."

Alex's eyes went from her mother to her grandfather and all the way back more than just a couple of times. That didn't sound very exciting.

"And... what would that be?" she asked dubiously while pushing a strand of hair behind her ear mechanically.

"Well... Since you're being transferred from Beauxbatons and you'll start your fourth year at Hogwarts, I brought you this and I thought it would be better if you were sorted before the year officially begins..."

Hearing the word "transferred" made Alex feel her heart tighten in her chest. She took the letter he was handing her automatically and didn't quite follow what came next.

"Pardon me but... if I was _what_?"

"Sorted," her mother explained before her grandfather had a chance. "At Hogwarts, there are four houses; Griffyndor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. In the beginning of the first year, at their very first day at the school, all students go through the sorting ceremony and they get to know which house they'll be part of for the next seven years."

Alex had no idea what she was talking about. At Beauxbatons, there weren't things as different houses or sorting ceremonies... All first year students remained together. There were different towers for each and every different year and the boys and girls had their own separated corridors but, nothing like houses... Not that she expected that the two schools were the same but...

"And how exactly I'll get— sorted... if I'm not going through this sorting ceremony?"

This time, it was her grandfather who explained. Actually, he showed her.

Alex didn't know what she was expecting — or if she was expecting something — but she was quite frustrated with what she saw. Behind her mother, there was one of their comfortable armchairs with some worn out piece of fabric lying on top of it.

She looked around but, when she noticed her mom and grandfather indicating that brown thing, she frowned.

"What's that?" Alex asked; one eyebrow describing a perfect arch above her big and curious blue eyes. She was careful enough to keep the adjective _'rubbish'_ only to herself.

"That is the sorting hat."

Her grandfather seemed to be very proud of that old hat and Alex decided it was definitely the best choice to edit her original sentence.

"Right..." That was all she could say.

"Come on," Albus said, waving his hand towards the armchair as he took the sorting hat in his hands. "Have a seat."

With suspicious thoughts and slow steps, Alex walked across the room and sat on the white armchair. For the first time, it felt uncomfortable.

She watched Albus' every movement and she almost flinched when he straightened the hat to put on her.

The old fabric of its inside covered her eyes and Alex was embraced by the darkness. She didn't mind the absence of light, but she couldn't help but wonder what exactly that old hat had to do with her being sorted into one of the four houses.

Without noticing, she tightened the grip on the arms of the white armchair and she almost jumped on it when a voice spoke.

_"My, my... Is this real? It's been ages since I last saw someone like you. A Dumbledore."_

She grew up in the magic world and knew that this wasn't exactly unusual, but she was definitely not expecting it. Alex thought about taking that weird hat off but it didn't stop talking.

_"Likewise, I see bravery, courage, loyalty, determination... This should be an easy choice but, there are some other aspects to be considered though... Bright, dedicated, sharp mind, uniquely clever... I think you'd fit in at least three houses... now, which one?"_

The young witch was shifting uncomfortably on the armchair. _"What the hell?"_ she thought to herself while squinting beneath the hat.

_"I wouldn't describe it as hell but I'd say... You'd do great in the house of Godric Gryffindor, as the ones that came before you, but the house of Rowena Ravenclaw would definitely be a good choice for a mind like yours... and then, there's the house of Salazar Slytherin... I see you're an ambitious and very determined witch, with some other traits that you don't share too often. Slytherin... interesting..."_

Godric, Rowena, Salazar... Alex wasn't following any of that talk anymore. She was completely lost and those words made no sense whatsoever to her.

Brave. Courageous. Sure she had to endure some hard times, but it's not like she had other choice. Well, she did, but she wasn't raised to be a coward.

Uniquely clever? No. That wasn't Alex... At Beauxbatons she wasn't a lousy student and she really liked books and any kind of literature — muggle even — but she didn't think she deserved to be called "uniquely" clever.

And what on Earth was he talking about? Ambition? Thus far, the only ambition she had was to live through this moment of her life.

Lately, Alex felt like she had been thrown into a gigantic rollercoaster of emotions and events. She had so many ups and downs and she was barely hanging there. She didn't whine, but she wanted a break. Ever since her father died, Alex had been looking for a break...

Her father. The memory of her dad suddenly brought her out of that bubble of uncomfortable feelings. Alex knew she had changed over the last two years. And the changes weren't tiny. She had become distant, a little detached, but she never took anyone or anything for granted. Especially her mother.

At that moment, with an old talking hat covering her eyes, Alex remembered her dad and her mother and it all felt alright.

In the words of her both parents, they raised her to be _une sorcière exceptionelle_, an exceptional witch, and that's what she would be. Even if she didn't know how yet, she'd be brave and determined and she'd face whatever it was that was waiting for her.

Whether it was in the house of Godric Gryffindon, Rowena Ravenclaw or Salazar Slytherin, Alex would be the witch she was raised to be. With courage, she'd accept it. With brightness, she would adapt to the new phase of her life. And, with a little bit of ambition, she would prove everyone, especially herself, that she was capable of anything.

_"Very interesting... I've made my decision... Your house is going to be— GRYFFINDOR!"_

The last word was not softly spoken, like all the others. The last word was yelled and, soon after that loud announcement, someone took the hat out of Alex head and, for a second, she was blinded by the lights.

She was still rubbing her eyes when her mother's arms enveloped her.

"Gryffindor! You're a Gryffindor! Oh, _chéri_, I am so proud of you..."

Alex couldn't understand why so much excitement over she being sorted into Gryffindor. Her mother was happy, her grandfather seemed to be quite pleased himself so she felt content as well. If only she knew what that would bring to her future in Hogwarts...


	4. A beauty with the name of a beast

**Chapter 4.** A beauty with the name of a beast

"We need to go to the Diagon Alley."

Alex was in her room, lying on her bed, playing with one of her father's golden snitches, not allowing it to fly farther from where she could catch it, when she heard mother's voice, coming from the next room.

"We need to go _where_?" she shouted, holding tightly the small golden ball in one of her hands.

"Diagon Alley," Diana repeated her words. "We gotta buy everything you'll need for school."

"Oh... Okay..."

She had just released the winged ball, allowing it to fly again when the blonde head of her mother appeared on the door.

"Are you ready?"

Alex sat on her bed, momentarily forgetting about the golden snitch.

"Now?"

"Of course!"

The young witch had been truly happy to see her grandfather again and everything, but she felt a bit glad when he left, just a few minutes ago. She thought that, with him, all the "surprise" thing had gone as well. Clearly, she was wrong.

"Why can't we go tomorrow?"

"I'll have to go to the Ministry tomorrow, and the year is about to begin."

Alex thought about that for just a couple of seconds.

"Alright," she said after jumping out of her bed and grabbing her blue vest that used to be part of her school attire. Used to.

Wearing the comfortable vest, she was about to step out of her room when she felt the wind lightly blowing on her right cheek. The golden stitch.

With a fairly quick movement, she grabbed it before it was out of arms reach and the wings suddenly stopped in her tight grip. Alex could almost hear her father's voice saying how agile she was, and that she'd beat him in a very near future. Alex didn't want to beat her dad; she wanted to be with him.

Placing the snitch back on its place, she walked with heavy steps downstairs, where her mom was waiting for her so they could apparate.

* * *

><p>Alex found the Diagon Alley to be quite similar to the <em>Chemin d'Argent<em>, the French magical shopping spot that had the remains of old gold encrusted on its cobbles, even though the name suggested to be a silver path.

The brunette witch strolled through the streets feeling a little more comfortable. The bookshops, the antiquarians, everything was so different, yet so familiar that it brought a smile to her face.

Her mother had money with her so Alex's first stop was at _Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions_ so she could buy the Hogwarts-required plain black work robes. Plain black. Alex glanced at her blue robes... So different.

Next, they visited _Flourish & Blotts _— where the two women spent over an hour buying the books she'd need for school and some other ones, just for pleasure —, _Potage's Cauldron Shop_ — Alex needed a new cauldron — and the telescope shop — her old telescope was broken.

Her next stop wasn't exactly on the script, but Alex couldn't help herself and Diana couldn't hurry her child. It was the _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ and there was the newest model of the Firebolt on display.

Alex stared at it for Merlin knows how long. She didn't recognized one single soul in that ocean of people that were around her but, at that moment, she didn't mind.

"Your dad would have loved this broom..."

She heard her mother's soft tone by her side and nodded shyly in agreement. Alex didn't trust her voice to say anything, especially when her mother was just whispering.

Alex suddenly wanted to get back home, get her dad's Nimbus 2001 and fly. She loved to fly. It was like she was with her father again, like when she was a child and he taught her how to fly around. It was a father-daughter thing.

She was so focused on the broom, the set of Quidditch balls and the uniform of the England National Quidditch Team that when her mother stopped to talk to someone she knew — or worked with, she didn't know for sure — from the Ministry of Magic, she just stood there, admiring the fastest broom ever made.

Alex was just thinking how she'd love to jump on that Firebolt and try it when she noticed something. A platinum glow flashed in front of her eyes and she blinked out of her trance. It was so fast that part of her brain wondered if she wasn't imagining it. The other part of her brain was sure of what it registered, and it went beyond the sparkle.

Slowly, Alex turned on her heels, looking for what caused her to forget about the broom, even if just for a second. Her eyes scanned the crowded place for about ten seconds when she soon found it. About five yards away — imagine that — there was a boy. But he wasn't like any other boy she ever met. He was... different.

There was something about the serious boy with platinum blonde hair and gray eyes that Alex couldn't tell what was it, but it intrigued her. So much that she couldn't look away, even when she noticed that he had his eyes glued on her.

Standing in the middle of a crowded street, with a considerable amount of distance between them, the two strangers held eye contact.

Alex felt a shiver down her spine when his lips arched in what could have been a smile or a grin; she couldn't tell for sure because at that very same moment, she felt her mother hands on her shoulder and she turned away from him.

"Alex, _chéri_... Is everything okay?"

Diana noticed the focused gaze of her daughter and she tried to follow it but she didn't find the source of her deep interest.

To Alex's displeasure, when she looked back to where the blonde was standing moments ago, she couldn't find him either.

"_Oui, maman_... Everything's okay," she answered politely, hoping she was able to hide the disappointment she was feeling — _who was he?_

Diana doubted Alex's words but didn't insist on the matter.

"Look, darling... I gotta go to the Ministry for a couple of minutes. There's something I have to check but I'll be back real soon. I can take you back home and we can return some other day or—"

"I'll stay," Alex said before her mother could finish, suggesting the very same thing Diana was thinking. "I'll get what I need and we can meet... There." She was pointing at the _Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour_.

Diana smiled mildly at her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Alex..."

"It's okay, mom. I can handle a simple shop list." Besides, she was still intrigued by the boy she just saw...

"Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time."

"_Je t'aime, chéri._."

"Love you too, mom."

Diana soon disappeared into thin air and Alex was now flying solo. She checked the letter her grandfather handed her and what she still needed to buy to see where she would have to go.

"Apothecary..." she muttered to herself as her eyes scanned the whole place. "There."

With quick steps, Alex got to one of the shops on the other side of the street, a few meters from where the blonde was standing. The _Slug & Jiggers Apothecary_.

Alex stepped into the store and found it to be with a reasonable amount of people in there. Over half of them were holding a piece of parchment exactly like the one she had in her hands. Hogwarts students... She took a small basket and started to look for what was on her list.

She had got over half of the ingredients she had to buy when a male voice spoke close to her.

"May I help you?"

"_Merci,_" Alex said politely as she grabbed a small pot of Jobberknoll feathers. "I have ev—" Her voice died the moment she raised her eyes from the ingredient she was holding and met a pair of grey eyes looking at her.

Alex was so focused on the shell with innumerous bottles, flasks, pots and bags that she didn't notice when a tall, slim, platinum haired boy approached her from behind.

"You were saying...?" He asked with a half smirk and Alex had to blink a couple of times.

"I was saying that I have everything under control, thank you very much."

Alex tried to hide it at least a little bit, but her French accent kicked in.

"I don't even need to ask why I haven't seen you here before... You're clearly not British."

"Clearly."

The blonde guy arched an eyebrow but, before that, Alex realized she was a little rude.

"_Pardonnez-moi_... I'm not British. I just moved from Paris to London."

"And you're going to Hogwarts now." It wasn't a question. She noticed his eyes were fixed on the letter she received from her grandfather.

"Yes, I am..."

Alex's eyes shifted back to her letter, avoiding the grey eyes that were still fixed on her. Obviously that boy was a student in Hogwarts and she didn't want to show that she wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

"Already know which house?"

She thought about that for a moment but her mind was so full with things to buy and everything else that she couldn't recall the name of her house.

"I'm sorry," she said shaking her head.

"No problem... I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy."

His hand stood in front of Alex and it took her a moment to reach out and shake it. His name sounded a somewhat familiar, but she couldn't think of a reason and she couldn't remember where she had heard it before...

"Alexandra Chevalier."

She willingly let the "Dumbledore" out. Her grandfather was the Headmaster of the British school of Magic and she didn't want him — Draco — to see that Albus's grand-daughter wasn't happy to attend Hogwarts.

Later that day, when Alex was having dinner with her mother, she let the name Malfoy come out of her mouth inadvertently. Her mother choked and almost coughed her lungs out. When she asked her mom what the matter was, Alex learned some things that only added to her already greavy mood.

Malfoy was the name of a — according to her Auror mother, _allegedly_ — former Death Eater and they weren't exactly fond of Albus. The pretty boy who had the name of one of the most incredible magical creatures ever, was also the only son of a well known British family of purebloods who fed an enormous hatred — to say the very least — towards her own family...

"_Magnifique_," Alex said sarcastically when she went to bed that night. "This is gonna be a _great_ year for us, Liz."

The Eagle Owl she bought that day hooted and Alex opened the cage. The bird spread her long wings and flew out of the cage, out of the window, into the night; less than seconds later, Alex couldn't see the black and white feathers of Liz.

Still staring at the last place she'd seen her owl, Alex realized that the feeling of cheerfulness she felt earlier that day was long gone. She was going to Hogwarts pretty soon and the only person she knew, happened to be the one she should avoid.

"_C'est magnifique_..."


End file.
